SSN is a digest of the day's soccer/football/futbol articles with a focus on the top European leagues and the United States National Team. Below, you’ll find links to articles and video, as well as additional features and commentary. We locate the top news of the day so you can stay updated with ease.

Friday, December 08, 2006

Two massive local derbies dominate this weekend's Premiership schedule. The action get underway in Manchester at lunchtime on Saturday when another massive Old Trafford crowd will tuck into the spectacle of United versus City. There is always a huge amount of civic pride at stake in these clashes but Saturday's showdown will have extra spice because United, six points clear of defending champions Chelsea at the top of the table, will be determined to make that nine before Chelsea take on London rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=186269

While getting my weekly fix of the Premiership on Saturday, with first the north London derby then Portsmouth v Aston Villa, I made the mistake of switching to another Sky Sport (Italy) channel and I was immediately plunged into the football equivalent of the Dark Ages.

The U.S. Soccer Federation on Friday will name current Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley as U.S. national team coach a source close to the negotiations confirmed to ESPN.com on Thursday. But the hiring is only temporary.

It is a massive weekend in Spain in the context of the title race, with second placed Real Madrid facing a trial by fire at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday, where third place Sevilla lie in wait. Valencia host Deportivo in another cracker, while Villarreal visit Celta as they vie for European berths.http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=186019

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Did anyone watch the Porto/Arsenal match?These announcers that have been covering the Arsenal matches are terrible! I thought they were awful during the Hamburg match but last night was pretty poor. They’re quite negative and seem to enjoy focusing on everything that is wrong with the game they are viewing. Every weak cross is greeted with an audible groan or sigh. It gets really annoying after a while.

From the outset last night it was obvious that both teams would play for a draw yet the commentators thought that to be insane.They were criticizing both teams for not attacking enough.Hello!?A draw gets both through to the next stage!If you want to criticize something, criticize the bloody system that UEFA has put in place, not the players!They’re just doing their job, and if that means a boring draw with little offensive output, so be it.That’s the way it’s been set up!The players are only doing what is necessary to ensure safe passage and more money for their club.At one point the play-by-play guy described the match as “torture.”Well, apologies to you sir.Sorry you had to fly to Porto to commentate on the game.Wankers.-Sanford

Campbell looks at chants, the prospect of an NFL game in London ("Nail-biting, isn't it? Shall we send them Watford v Charlton in return?") and passes on the following supposedly true story... -Sanford

An alleged true story from an Arsenal season-ticket holder: his position last year was an absolute plum, halfway up Highbury's main stand, close to halfway. After the first few games of the season it became apparent that despite all home games being sell-outs, the two seats on his left were always empty. This continued until just after Christmas, when a guy and his young son appeared. Asked if he knew why the seats had been empty, he said: "Tell me about it. It was a lovely present. The wife bought me and my son season tickets - and gave them to us for Christmas."http://football.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1966109,00.html

How disappointing were Manchester United until they went a goal behind? Very. At times it was excruciating to watch. Plenty of pretty football, plenty of one-touch stuff, plenty of clever interpassing. But where did it get them? Nowhere.

Another solid week as I got five correct and four incorrect, with two perfect scores.

The perfect scores were easy enough, with Villa and Pompey in the mix and Sheffield United winning 2-1 at home versus an anemic Charlton.I’m most pleased with my call on the Everton/West Ham clash – barring the late goal that would have been another perfect score.

Sadly, Wigan let me down when I thought they had the goods to hold Liverpool at the JJB.Liverpool took care of their away woes on the back of inspired work by Stevie G and Craig B.

And I came close to calling the draw at the Riverside but ManU’s ability to bounce back got them the deserved three points.I also read the Reading/Bolton fixture quite well.Bolton really get up for the big games but have been lacking against lower opposition.Reading deserved their win at home.

Finally, Arsenal proved me wrong with authority, or was it Spurs that did the same with an authoritative collapse?They were spineless and disorganized – a true Tottenham showing.

There seems to have been a lot of chit-chat this week surrounding this year's golden balls, accompanied of course by a lens that has focused generally on La Liga and specifically on Real Madrid. The main talking point has been Fabio Cannavaro, and should he or shouldn't he have been awarded the big prize?

If Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez had got his way, Simao Sabrosa would have been a key member of his team by now.

Yet it is the red of Benfica and not the crimson of Liverpool that he is currently excelling and Manchester United may be regretting as much after Wednesday's crucial Champions League showdown at Old Trafford.

Hernán Crespo believes in destiny. Ask him about the cruelest night of his career, when Liverpool staged arguably the greatest comeback in the history of soccer to wrest the 2005 Champions League crown from AC Milan, and Crespo has no doubt about what decided the game.

Thierry Henry is not expected to play again in 2006, ruling him out of Sunday’s big match against Chelsea and the busy holiday programme. The Arsenal captain has been forced to accept that he needs a break, perhaps for more than a month, because of a sciatic nerve problem that has affected his form.

Poor Thierry Henry! Oh when will someone give the poor lamb the respect he so richly deserves? Hot on the heels of discovering you don't get anywhere near the Fifa World Player of the Year award simply by diving through a major international tournament "like a woman", or by failing to show up for any of the finals your teams qualify for, he now finds that Arsene Wenger doesn't fancy treating him like the second coming of Christ. Oh Arsene, how could you!